Broadway Comes to Benedict: Hamilton Meets the Enlightenment
Credit: Benjy Renton
Freshman Thomas Dewey refutes claims made by his opponent.
June 3, 2016
What do Broadway sensation Lin Manuel-Miranda and Mr. Bass have in common? 1. They both went to Wesleyan. 2. They both use rap music to tell a story.
It is not uncommon to see elements of current events and pop culture embedded in Hackley’s curriculum. Some 9th Grade Cultures in Conflict History classes have taken this fusion to a whole new level – using the record-breaking, wildly popular Broadway phenomenon Hamilton as a springboard to jump into a new take on the Enlightenment. History teachers Michael Bass and Melissa Stanek piloted this new project this past April, utilizing Hamilton’s intense rap battles and applying this musical form into their unit on Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.
Mr. Bass sought inspiration for this project from Hamilton’s music, specifically the song “Cabinet Battle #1.” Upon planning for his upcoming unit on the Enlightenment, he saw Hamilton’s creative music and historically accurate lyrics as the perfect fit for helping his students understand Hobbes and Locke. “I realized you could liken Hobbes’ pessimistic outlook and Locke’s optimistic outlook to Jefferson and Hamilton in the song, and that’s when I saw the match,” Mr. Bass said.
Each of Mr. Bass’ history classes was divided into three groups: one which would represent Hobbes, another which would represent Locke, and a final group which would introduce the rap battle. After reading about these two characters in an assigned article, each group featured students who played the roles of researcher, writer, annotator and performer. The final class period spent on this project culminated in a face-off, where students assigned to play Hobbes and Locke would compete in a rap battle.
Mr. Bass said implementing this project helped his students understand, retain and engage in the material. Although he has yet to see quantifiable results with the Enlightenment unit test, he feels confident that “all the kids seemed to absorb the information. I think the fact that it was fun added an additional layer of retention,” Mr. Bass said.
Freshman Catherine Marshall noted the project’s unique benefits in its preparation. “I think that since we had to do more detailed research on the material, I was able to understand it better,” she said.
Mr. Bass believes the overall reactions from the students regarding the rap battle project were “very positive.” “One musically-inclined student said that ‘it was their favorite thing they did all year in History class,’” Mr. Bass commented. The multifaceted approach to chronicling the history of these two influential Enlightenment philosophers helped attract all kinds of students, from the academic to the creative to the dramatic. In addition, Mr. Bass saw students who were usually not as engaged in the material take on an integral role in preparing their group for the performance.
Mrs. Stanek also saw the value of teaching the Enlightenment through rap and implemented Mr. Bass’ idea in her classes. However, she modified the original assignment description to include other Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and Rousseau. “Since the students were looking to critique the other philosophers [in their raps], they learned about their beliefs as well,” she noted. The various parts of the assignment ensured every student, including those who did not perform, played a role in the final product.
Freshman Frances Schaeffler, a student in Mrs. Stanek’s class, enjoyed researching Thomas Hobbes online for her contribution to her group. “Doing the research yourself helps you remember everything more,” she said. Like many participants, she appreciated the final performance most, especially generating rhymes and lyrics to refute the claims of Locke, her group’s opponent. Students were able to choose their group’s favorite rap beat to which they would sing along during the performance. “Nick Barsanti and I had tons of fun rapping to the beat of ‘Back to Back’ by Drake, which was very fitting since it was the ultimate roast song,” she said.
Mr. Bass said that there is “no question” to whether he would continue this project next year. In addition to implementing this rap battle project into his curriculum, he would certainly like to include music in at least one other activity to help students better understand new and complex material. “If anything, I’m thinking about how to do stuff like this more,” he said. At least it is easier to get tickets to see Mr. Bass’ show on Benedict than to Hamilton on Broadway.
